Journey bans, restrictions alarm collegiate athletes in Arizona

• ASU athletes from a number of nations are involved about potential journey restrictions and visa points as a result of latest coverage adjustments.
• ASU’s athletic director has expressed help for worldwide athletes, assuring them of their participation within the upcoming season.
• Legal specialists and coaches are monitoring the state of affairs and ready to help affected athletes.

Arizona State is a haven for athletes from all around the world. They symbolize six continents and compete throughout a wide range of sports activities.

The latest announcement by President Donald Trump that residents of 12 nations can be banned from visiting the United States and people from seven others would face restrictions has left many ASU athletes feeling unsettled.

“It’s hard because my country is rumored to be added to the travel ban list,” stated ASU cross nation runner Taiwo Mary Kudoro, who’s from Nigeria. “It’s pretty worrisome that my visa status may be in question because I come from an African country.”

Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen are on the journey ban checklist. Visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will face restrictions.

The administration additionally stated that 36 extra nations — lots of them in Africa, together with Nigeria — might be added to the checklist except they handle a wide range of safety points.

ASU athletic director Graham Rossini provided a voice of help for the athletes.

“We currently do not have any issues with keeping our international athletes here,” Rossini stated. “They are Sun Devils just like the American-born athletes, and they will participate during the 2025–2026 season.”

Although lots of ASU’s international athletes come from Europe, Canada and Australia, lots of these from Africa and Asia worry their nation might be subsequent.

“I came here to golf and get an education,” stated Fifa Laopakdee, a Thai athlete on the lads’s golf staff. “That’s what I want to do, and I don’t want to have to potentially worry about my status.”

Although Thailand shouldn’t be on the restricted journey checklist, concern is prevalent amongst athletes from many nations throughout a interval of immigration unrest and visa revocations.

Some athletes say their concern is heightened as they watch ICE raids and sweeping deportations have an effect on the Phoenix space.

Additionally, in January, a conservative ASU scholar group known as College Republicans United known as for college students to report their friends to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an occasion that additionally attracted tons of of protesters on ASU’s Tempe campus.

It could be troublesome to observe.

“Due to it being an extremely poor look not only for the administration but for the university as well, these students shouldn’t fear their visas being revoked,” Phoenix immigration legal professional Cody Hall stated. “Unfortunately, many others with similar status do not have that luxury and are subjected to deportations and visa revocations.”

Trump journey ban particulars: What Arizonans must know concerning the nations on the checklist

In June, Emerson Colindres, a 19-year-old membership soccer standout with goals of taking part in collegiately, was detained by ICE after which deported to Honduras, which his household left greater than a decade in the past to flee violence. He had no felony file.

LeMerian Lemashon, one in all three ASU distance runners from Kenya, is making an attempt his greatest to keep away from the skin noise.

“Right now, I’m focused on running,” he stated. “I cannot control what is going on politically. I am here to do my job.”

Many of ASU’s international athletes share the identical mindset: School and competitors come first. Legal standing comes second.

“We can’t do anything about it,” Kuduro stated. “Yes, we are worried about the possibilities, but we have to focus on competing, which is why we are here.”

Hall understands the priority.

“Obviously, the main focus is Latin-American countries for restrictions,” he stated. “However, the point is, if you are on a visa in general, you may be subjected to status changes.”

Concerns lengthen past ASU.

“We certainly have thought about it,” Grand Canyon University athletic director Jamie Boggs stated. “It will be more of an issue if it gains traction, but since we aren’t as large as other DI schools, it could really impact our athletic composition.”

Studying and competing overseas is already a problem for worldwide athletes.

“From experience, there is already an extensive process in place to obtain a visa,” stated Mathis Bondaz, a French tennis participant for ASU. “I can’t see how it could be restricted more than it already is. I don’t think that is possible.”

Bondaz is among the many 80% of worldwide athletes that make up ASU’s tennis groups.

“Due to what is going on, it’s hard to focus solely on tennis,” Bondaz stated. “You are only in control of what you came here to do, and for me, that is to play tennis. But I do worry for my teammates.”

Practices for the 2025 fall season are underway for 5 sports activities: soccer, volleyball, cross nation, soccer and golf.

“There’s no point in sitting here and feeling sorry for ourselves,” Lemashon stated. “We have a whole new season starting and a lot to look forward to. Always have to look at the positives.”

With Phoenix lower than 200 miles from Mexico’s border, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are regularly within the information. Arizona ranked fifth in ICE arrests throughout a five-month stretch in 2025, in response to information compiled by the Deportation Data Project.

The visibility could be jarring.

“It affects me and some of my teammates. That goes without saying,” Laopakdee stated. “They’re my brothers. I cannot compete without them, but we know it’s out of our control, and we must focus on golf.”

Approximately 14% of ASU athletes are worldwide college students. Nationally, it’s notably prevalent in tennis. International college students symbolize 63 % of NCAA males’s tennis gamers and 62 % of girls’s tennis gamers.

“We are proud of our student body on and off the field here in Tempe,” Rossini stated. “That will not change regardless of the legislation that comes from Washington.”

ASU is regularly ranked among the many prime universities for enrollment and attracts many athletes from different nations.

“It definitely is in the back of your mind, whether you want it there or not,” distance runner Evaline Chepkoech stated. “There are definitely Arizonans who are subjected to worse than we are, so we have to be grateful that we have a support system in place.”

Immigration attorneys throughout Arizona are watching carefully.

“We are prepared to defend athletes if it gets to that point,” Hall stated. “Obviously, we would have to work things out with the university, but if called upon, we will be there no matter what.”

Coaches are paying consideration, too.

“Seven of our eight players are foreign-born,” ASU males’s tennis coach Matt Hill stated. “I definitely account for that. This is an issue that goes beyond our team, but I am with my players through thick and thin. That is my job.”

ASU has not reported any ICE raids on campus.

“We work to build and maintain a respectful, principled academic environment,” an ASU spokesman stated in a press release.

“We are here to teach and learn — not to engage in self-aggrandizing conduct in order to generate as much media attention and controversy as possible.”

(This story has been up to date so as to add new info.)